Automobile Advertising

How manufacturers stretched the truth

Feature Article from Hemmings Classic Car

Since the introduction of the automobile, advertising has played an important role in getting the potential customer to buy a car. And, from the automobile's early years right up to today, advertising campaigns presented to us by the auto manufacturers have always been high-profile, usually boisterous, and often on the edge of the truth.
But this truth was stretched to the limits by the manufacturers in the 1950s, that decade of dazzle, decadence and defiance to good taste and ecologically sound products.
Cars themselves had model names that reflected the times, such as Rocket 88, Flitesweep and Strato-Chief. A recurring theme here was jet-airplane and space travel, and this theme was prevalent in the naming of many elements of the cars, such as engines, body design, interior and suspension components.
Let's start with engines, which underwent a big change with the introduction of the overhead-valve V-8 engine, still the standard today.
Chrysler's "Spitfire Straight Eight" engine of 1950 was replaced with the now-famous "FirePower Hemi V-8" in 1951. It was a terrific engine, but costly to produce; so by 1955, Chrysler was also offering the "Spitfire V-8," which was based on the Hemi engine but had different cylinder heads and was much cheaper to build. By 1959, the Hemi was temporarily gone, and Chryslers were now powered with the "Golden Lion V-8," with a conventional valve arrangement. Chrysler's little brother Dodge got on the Hemi-head train with its "Red Ram V-8" in 1953, which was a big step up from the "Get-Away L-Head Six" of 1950, but the costly little Hemi-head was replaced in 1958 with the "Ram Fire V-8."
In 1952, Ford's famous flathead V-8, then 20 years old, was called the "Strato-Star V-8," while the six-cylinder engine of the time was known as the "Mileage Maker Six."
In the early half of the 1950s, six-cylinder engines were still quite common, and they too were subjected to the ad writer's art. In 1954, Willys had a "Hurricane Six," while the 1953 Chevrolets were powered with the "Blue Flame Six." Hudson's engine was called "Miracle H-Power" in 1951, and with twin carburetors, acquired the name "Twin H-Power."
By the mid-1950s, all car manufacturers had a V-8 engine, and each of these engines needed names. Plymouth had a "Hy-Fire V-8," introduced in 1955, Nash had a "JetFire V-8" in 1955, and Chevy introduced its famous small-block V-8, known in 1955 as the "Turbo-Fire V-8."
Pontiac's first V-8 in 1955 was called the "Strato-Streak V-8," and under the hood of a Studebaker the next year, you could get a "Skypower V-8." In 1956, Nash got away from the airplane theme and went with "Torque-Flo V-8." Mercury's "Marauder V-8" of 1958 explored new territory in naming conventions.
Automatic transmissions came into their own during the Fifties, and by 1959, most cars were equipped with this device that shifted itself. A 1950 De Soto could be ordered with the semi-automatic "Tip-Toe Hydraulic Shift," and Buick's "Dynaflow" had been around since 1948. But the term "matic," as used in "automatic," was carried to extremes in naming these new transmissions.
Dodge had a "Gyro-Matic" in 1950, and a Chrysler of the same year could be ordered with "Prestomatic." Packard introduced its "Ultramatic" in 1950. Ford came out with the "Ford-O-Matic" in 1951, and other manufacturers picked up on this nomenclature. The "Flight-O-Matic" was introduced by Studebaker in 1956, and Rambler brought out its "Flash-O-Matic" in 1958.
Most components that nobody cared about, such as brakes, shock absorbers and springs, were not forgotten by the advertising people. A sampling of these mechanical parts include "Oriflow Shocks" (De Soto, 1951), "Guard-Beam" chassis (Oldsmobile, 1959), "Stedi-Line" steering (Mercury, 1953), "Safe-Guard" brakes (Plymouth, 1950), "Easamatic" power brakes (Packard, 1952), and a real favorite that covers a lot of territory, "Custom Lounge Rocket Ride" (Oldsmobile, 1952).
Car manufacturers stressed the comfort levels of 1950s interiors, along with the ease of reading the speedometer and related gauges. Heating and ventilation were also important. Nash's "Weather Eye Heater" (1950) was the envy of the industry, but you could buy a Mercury with the "Merco-Therm" fresh-air system in the same year, or enjoy the "Breezeway Ventilation" of a 1957 Mercury.
Dashboards were not simply dashboards. Ford had a "Flight-Style Control Panel" in 1952. Chrysler's controls in 1951 were known as the "Safety Eye Instrument Panel," while in a 1950 Buick you sat behind the "Pilot-Centered Control Panel." In a 1953 Dodge you sat on "Fiber Fashion Fabric," or "Lounge Rest Seats" in a 1950 Mercury. Plymouth had "Tone-Tailored" interiors in 1952, and the 1954 Nashes and Hudsons were equipped with "Airliner" seats.
Once seated, you could listen to a variety of sound systems, including your "Wonderbar" radio (several makers, 1955), your "Highway Hi-Fi" record player, available with special records in 1956-61 De Sotos, or your "Trans Portable" radio, available first in the 1958 Oldsmobile, and could be removed from the car as a separate unit.
Push buttons to control the automatic transmission functions were common to several makes in the 1950s, especially Chrysler cars. These buttons were also called "typewriter drive," but Mercury's push buttons of 1958 were known as the "Keyboard Control," and Edsel, which put the buttons in the center of the steering wheel, offered its "Teletouch" automatic.
Cars got bigger and bigger as the decade progressed, and the boxy shapes of the early 1950s gave way to tri-color paint schemes, large amounts of chrome plating, and of course, tail fins.
Windshield visibility became better for drivers as car manufacturers learned to build one-piece windshields, and by 1955, huge curved glass was prominent in most cars. Ford of 1952 offered "Full Circle Visibility," you could get a "Pilot View Windshield" in a 1953 Dodge, while in the Plymouth of the same year was "Control Tower Visibility."
The 1954 Nash was equipped with a "Scena-Ramic" windshield, but Chrysler in 1955 outdid the rest with its "New Horizon Super Scenic Windshield."
You could buy a 1952 Hudson with "Hudson-Aire Hardtop Styling," a 1954 Plymouth with "Color-Tuned Styling" or, two years later, a Plymouth with "Flight-Sweep Styling."
Your new 1952 Mercury came with a "Jet-Scoop" hood, a 1954 Kaiser had "Safety-Glo" taillamps, and a 1954 Nash had "Safety-Vu" headlamps.
Decades before you could purchase a "wide-screen" television, a 1955 Buick came with a "Wide-Screen" grille. The 1951 Chevy had a "Fashion Front" grille at one end, and "Reflector Guard" taillamps at the other. Both Chrysler of 1955 and Buick of 1958 employed "Twin Tower" taillamps.
By the end of the 1950s, auto manufacturers started to get serious about themselves, and had to worry about the smaller cars such as Rambler, Volkswagen and other European entries that were proving that bigger isn't always better. While the independents such as Hudson, Packard and Studebaker were either gone or on their way out, Ford, General Motors and Chrysler continued to build big cars, but started to give the public a choice away from the gas-guzzlers with the Falcon, Corvair and Valiant.
Detroit also realized the buying public was not going to be duped any more with cute names and phrases. While auto advertising did continue to demonstrate excess and hyperbole in the quest to sell more automobiles, caricatures of words when describing the features of the autos became fewer and fewer.
So while you drive your new "Northstar"-powered Cadillac, you won't be looking out the windows through "EZ Eye" tinted glass. Nor will that "Triton"-engined Mercury be equipped with an "Econ-o-Miser" carburetor. And when you get your new Dodge pickup with the second-generation "Hemi" engine, don't expect to turn it with "Hydra Guide" power steering.

This article originally appeared in the June, 2005 issue of Hemmings Classic Car.